Sophie-Anne
by ReginasThief
Summary: Regina's a different person, now. She's not the Evil Queen anymore, just a random citizen of New York who lives with her six-years-old daughter and a broken heart. Can she escape her fate? Can she let in the past who she really is and live her new life? Not when her daughter is the product of true love and of two soulmates. / Outlaw Queen. Rating may change to M in the future.


7 AM, Monday.  
>It was the first day of school for Sophie-Anne; Regina had woken up with the sun that morning, prepared her daughter's favorite breakfast -french toasts, they had been her favorites since she was still in her belly-, chose carefully the clothes she was going to wear for that very special day... everything was ready for them to face that wonderful sunny day in New York.<p>

"Honey..." she whispered in her baby's ear, leaving a tender kiss on her soft cheek. "come on, wake up" she smiled at her, even though she knew her daughter couldn't see her. "I made french toasts" she tried again to convince her to open those wonderful big eyes, but all she got was a simple, sleepy "just one more minute, mom".

Regina snorted, but she couldn't help but smiling at how similar her daughter was to her in that exact moment.

"maybe... who knows, we could even open the new jar of Nutella..." she made an innocent face as she tried another time. Nothing. There was just one last thing she could try...  
>"come on, don't force me to tickle you..." she whispered, starting to slip her cool fingers under her pajama. Sophie-Anne tried to hold back as much as she could but she gave it up as her mother's hands arrived to her navel: she burst into a loud laughter that didn't took long to affect Regina too.<p>

"it isn't fair!" the baby exclaimed, still trying to catch her breath.

"oh yes, it is! I'm your mom, I can do anything!" she lifted her up in her arms and put her down on her lap, making her sit on her legs. She loved it when they stayed like that, she remembered when Sophie-Anne was two and was completely addicted to her mother, she constantly wanted to stay in her arms. It was like she was afraid that someone else could take her place.

"are you ready for your first day of school, princess?" she whispered, caressing her beautiful face sweetly, tracing its contour with her fingertip before tucking a lock of her curly, dark hair who had fell in front of her eyes, behind her ear. Gods, she was beautiful. That face was perfectly oval; that nose was so identical to hers, so small and cute; those lips full, delicate and red. Terribly red. Her hair was curly and dark, almost as dark as Regina's; it arrived to her shoulders, making her look like a cute little angel. And those eyes... Gods, those eyes. They were probably the part of her that Regina loved and hated the most, at the same time. They were blue, deep, just like the ocean, just like her father's. Every time she looked in them, Regina relived every single moment, every pain, every tear she cried.

"yess!" Sophie-Anne exclaimed happily, waking her up from her thoughts. She bent to take something on the other side of her bed.

_Oh, yeah right._ How could she forget about Olaf? That ridiculous stuffed snowman that her daughter had since she was still in the crib. Her father had given it to her during one of his weekly visits. She could perfectly remember Sophie-Anne's spontaneous smile at the sight of that funny toy, the same smile that Robin had, the same smile that she herself had tried to hold back. Since that moment, she had never left that stuffed snowman., not even for a second. It was her favorite toy, she used to take it wherever she went, she even talked to it! She knew it was a present from her daddy, from that daddy that she missed constantly and that she wanted there with her more than anything else.

"do you think they'll let me bring Olaf with me?" she asked as her big blue eyes penetrated Regina's, making her heart stop for a couple of seconds.

"yes, I think so. We should ask your new teacher." she smiled lovingly.

"don't worry, Olaf, they're gonna love you!" she was happy while she hugged her snowman, she had a wonderful big smile on her lips. A smile that lasted just for a few moments: Sophie-Anne seemed to get lost in her thoughts as she looked at her stuffed toy; her face darkened and Regina immediately noticed that. She wanted to ask what was wrong but her daughter anticipated her:  
>"I wish daddy was here" she whispered innocently.<p>

For a brief moment, she gasped.  
>Gods, she wanted it too. Of course she did. She would have given whatever just to have had Robin by her side during the whole pregnancy; next to her in the hospital the day Sophie-Anne was born, just to hold her hand and whisper in her ear that everything was going to be just fine; when she had pronounced her daughter's name like it was a spell, for the first time, while she got the chance of finally holding her in her arms; she wanted him by her side even during her first bath, during the sleepless nights, while she was taking her first step, while she was saying her first word.<p>

_Dad._ Yes, that was her first word. Regina could perfectly remember how her eyes had filled up with tears and how she had curled up in her bed and silently cried until she fell asleep that night. There was no one there to rejoice with her, no one to say "that's my girl! That's daddy's girl!". No one, except for her, to be proud of that beautiful angel.

Robin had missed so many moments and, that day, he was going to miss his daughter's first day of school, too. She was used to it, after almost seven years.

"me too, honey." she whispered and she damned herself a second after for saying it. She almost hoped her daughter hadn't heard her but she did: she hugged her mother tight in her tiny arms, as if _she _was the one who had to comfort her. Regina closed her eyes and tried to enjoy that moment, forgetting for a moment about the whole world around them. There were just her and her beautiful princess.  
>Nothing else mattered.<p>

"I love you, mommy."

"I love you too, princess."

* * *

><p>She parked her black Lexus right in front of the school's entrance. She could already see all the kids in front of the gate, waiting anxiously for the headmaster to arrive and meet them, together with their parents. <em>Both <em>of their parents.

She hoped until the very last moment that her daughter wouldn't notice the sadness in her eyes, she hoped until the very last moment that she wouldn't talk about how much she missed her father, but she didn't:

"everyone's with her mom and papa..." Sophie-Anne murmured, staring at her feet.

"hey.." she grabbed her little hand and interlaced her fingers with hers "I'm sure your father would be so proud of you." they looked at each other for a moment and smiled, before finally getting off the car.

They walked hand in hand. Regina couldn't help but notice how sweet her daughter was, with a big, pink rucksack on her back, almost bigger than her, and a stuffed snowman in her right hand. That _inevitable_ snowman.

That blue dress she had under her school uniform suited her perfectly and highlighted her big blue eyes; that cute ponytail Regina did to her made her look a little taller and those black shoes that Sophie-Anne loved so much completed the whole thing, making her look like a doll.  
>"you're a little lady, you know that, right?"<p>

"yes!" she exclaimed happily, making the ponytail swing.

Regina laughed. Yeah, Robin would have been really proud of his little girl. She could almost see him, standing there, in front of the gate, between the other children's parents, with a phone in his hand, looking like he was waiting for someone. Then, finally, his blue eyes fell deep in her chocolate brown ones, desperately searching for a contact. And there he is, putting away the phone and opening his arms in their direction. He was waiting for _them._

Yeah, right. She shook her head, trying to forget that stupid image that her fantasy had produced in her head. But no, he was still standing there, like he was...

"_Daddy!"_ she heard her daughter screaming and, suddenly, her little hand dropped hers, the pink rucksack fell from her back but that stupid snowman was still safe in her little hands as she ran like her life depended on that and hugged that man whose arms were waiting for her. The same arms that hugged her tight, a hug that they both needed more than anything else, a hug that could perfectly express how much they had missed each other.

..._Real. He was real._

Robin Hood was right there, in front of her daughter's school, hugging her tight, whispering in her ear how beautiful she looked that morning and how much he'd missed her during the past week. There, in New York, gods only knew how far away from his house.

"what... what are you doing here?" Regina managed to say, after various seconds of pure and simple shock.

"it's nice to see you too, Regina!" he replied sarcastically as he put his daughter back down. "I came here to check out Sophie-Anne's new classmates' mothers, of course!" Regina rolled her eyes but she couldn't hold back a smile.

"naah, I'm here for this wonderful princess!" he exclaimed, lifting the little girl up again, making her squeal in joy and excitement. Hearing her daughter's happy laughter was everything Regina could ask for. Her biggest joy. She swore to herself she had never seen Sophie-Anne that happy before: there with both of her parents, during one of the most important days of her life.

"I didn't want to miss her first day of school." Robin said, this time he was serious, looking straight into her eyes. Regina's heart lost a beat and, for a brief second, she gasped for air.

Damn it, how could he still have that effect on her?

"and you drove here from Storybrooke? This morning?"

"I left at five AM." he looked at Sophie-Anne again, who was smiling at him "everything for my little princess" he kissed her chubby cheek, tickling her with his beard, making her laugh again.

Yes, Regina was definitely living a dream. A dream that was destined to end shortly: the bell rang after a few more moments and Sophie-Anne had to leave them to run inside the school with all of her new classmates.  
>Robin and Regina stared at each other for a few seconds, seconds full of embarrassment, then one of them finally spoke:<br>"thank you for coming, Soph was... very sad. She wouldn't stop asking why you couldn't be here with her. She kept on seeing all these children with their moms and dads and... she wanted a dad too." she immediately blushed, once she had realized that she wasn't just telling him her daughter's wishes but _hers _too. She didn't want him to think that she was asking him to come back to them, he had made a choice seven years before and there was no going back.

Robin nodded: "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

They smiled at each other shyly.

"how about..." he stopped, wondering to himself for a moment if that was a good idea "breakfast? I need a coffee before driving back home." he smiled awkwardly.

Regina smiled and nodded. She damned her dark heart repeatedly for beating crazily, making her act like a teenager when her crush was around, as they walked side by side to the closest bar.

* * *

><p>"did you really come here just to stay five minutes with your daughter?" she asked again, taking her cup of coffee in her hands.<p>

"Regina, I knew that those five minutes were going to be important to her, I knew that she was going to remember them for the rest of her life. I didn't want her to have a bad memory of her first day of school." why on Earth did he keep on staring at her with those big blue eyes, so damn similar to Sophie-Anne's?! She hated it when he did that, he made her feel so small, so innocent and weak, unable even just to reply.

"thanks." was all she managed to say.

"I would do anything for Soph, and you know that."

_Anything except leaving the wife you're not in love anymore with, _the tiny voice in her head wanted to scream.

"I know." she looked down and had a sip of her coffee. "you know, she won't stop bringing that stupid stuffed snowman whenever she goes... how does she call him?" she thought about it for a moment "Puffin... Offin!"

"Olaf!" Robin corrected her, giggling softly "it's not stupid at all! I made it myself, right with these hands!" he said all proud of himself. He could still remember when he had made it, seven years before, when Regina had just told him she was pregnant with his child and she wanted to move to New York so he could keep living his life with Marian. And he had accepted everything, without saying a word, without moving a single muscle while the worst of pains of losing not only the love of his life, her true love, her soulmate, but even his beautiful daughter, completely devoured his heart.

"you did?" she was surprised, she didn't know that part of the story.

"yep." his, this time, was a sad smile. She could tell it from the way it didn't reach his eyes. Those big blue ones that were revoking all the painful memories, all the sleepless nights he had spent in his bed, staring at the roof, tracing her daughter's profile in his fantasy, imagining her just like her mother; just like the woman he loved more than his own self. The only way he had found not to get completely crazy had been making that stupid stuffed snowman. He had made it thinking of her, he wanted to give it to her the same exact they she was going to be born, so that he could have stayed with her every single day of his life, somehow, even when he couldn't. The tears that had fallen down his cheeks while he was finishing, had soaked the stuffed toy, so he had put it in front of the fireplace and waited till it was finally dry again. He had laughed at that situation: a snowman getting dried in front of a fireplace, ha! And he had thought how crazy he must had been to laugh at it. Maybe he was on the edge of madness.

"I had no idea!" Regina's voice brought him back to reality.

"there are so many things you know nothing about, Regina." he said vaguely, putting down his mug, still untouched. She felt a chill running down her spine at his words but she didn't dare to ask what he was talking about.  
>"I wanted to take Sophie-Anne to the beach house this weekend. I mean, if that's okay for you." Robin hurried to change the subject as he saw her getting uncomfortable, and Regina was thankful for that.<p>

"oh... yeah, sure! You... you don't have to ask, Robin, you're her father. This is your weekend with her. You can do whatever you like, I trust you. Completely." she bit her tongue at the last few words. _Damn it. _

He smiled at her and her heart lost a beat. Again. No, she couldn't forget about that smile; she saw it everytime she closed her eyes.

"it's just that... you know, when I'll bring her back home, completely covered with sand... I mean, I don't want you to think I tried to turn her into a crab." they looked at each other for one brief moment, then they burst into laughter like two idiots. Gods, it wasn't even that funny! They just needed to laugh together, after a very long time, after moments full of inhibitions, when they had seen each other in rather less pleasant circumstances, like to decide who was going to get Sophie-Anne during Christmas' Holidays that year.

"she's been addicted to The Little Mermaid lately, don't get surprised if she tries to run from your control to jump in the ocean and go searching for Flounder and Sebastian." they laughed again, but this time it was shorter.

Robin quickly returned serious and looked straight into her eyes:

"she looks a lot like you. She's smart, brave, strong... crazy" there he made her laugh again "and beautiful."

Regina blushed like an idiot. _Was he... flirting?_

Gods, no! He was married, for fuck's sake! He had given up everything to honor that god damn vow, he wasn't going to fuck everything up. Not _then._ Not even if... if he still felt something for her. Which he didn't. Obviously.

"she looks like you too. She's stubborn, funny, fearless... she loves bow and arrows! She absolutely wants to learn how to use it. Sounds familiar to you, Mr. Hood?"

Robin smiled, completely proud of his little warrior princess.

"well, she had surely seen that... how do you all call it? _Movie. _That movie about me! She knows his father is a hero, a myth!" he was smiling, all proud of himself while he said that but, as he saw her face darkening, his smile immediately dropped.

She looked down, hoping with all she got that he wouldn't notice how embarrassed she actually was; but she could feel him, his eyes pointed straight to her, reading her soul like it was an open book. She couldn't hide anything from him.

"oh, my God, Regina! She still doesn't know! You didn't tell her, did you?"

"what should I say? That her father is Robin Hood and her mother is The Evil Queen? How do you think a six-years-old-girl will react?"

"Regina, she's from our world. She has magic inside of her. What will you do when, in less than a year, she'll get full access to her powers again? When she'll start moving the objects or, worse, burning them! What will you say to her _then_?"

They noticed just then that their tone was definitely too high for a public place.

"I don't know! I have no idea! I... I just thought that... if I came here, with her, thing would have been different, that magic wouldn't reach this place. But I feel it, Robin. I can feel the magic in her veins, it belongs to her! It's the strongest one I've ever felt. She's... she's the product of true love. And of two soulmates. She's the most powerful creature our world has ever had, we have to protect her. I'll talk to Gold, we need more time. We have to freeze her powers for five more years. Maybe..."

"what? What would change in five years? Tell me! She'll never be ready for something like that, Regina. It's up to us to help her figuring out how special she is. I've accepted the fact that you changed her name in Locksley, that you lied about mine too. But I won't accept all of this any longer." she looked at him for a second, right in his blue eyes. A look that, honestly, managed to freak him out:  
>"and what are you planning to do?"<p>

"if you won't tell her the truth before her seventh birthday... _I_ will."

* * *

><p><strong>hey guys, here i am, back with a new story. to be honest, I'm not 100% sure of this one. I mean, it's different from the other fanfics i've written before, but i've had this idea and I wanted to try.<strong>

**I know you have a lot of question, but I'll try to answer in the next chapters.**

**please tell me if you like it and, most of all, if I should continue with it. thanks for reading! :))**


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